Page 4 Wilma Grose, Librarian for 35 Years at WSC Rows of carefully collected and labeled scrapbooks dating from 1941 through 1961 line the shelves of the Weber State College Archives. At the front of each scrapbook, in clear, concise printing it reads, “compiled by Wilma Grose.” Wilma Grose was a librarian at _ Weber for 35 years, beginning as a reference librarian with Eva R. Browning in 1939, becoming head librarian in 1954 when Eva retired and } ne aot! then taking the position, at her request, of head catalog librarian in 1960 until her retirement in 1975. “There were many happy associations during those years,”’ said Wilma, ‘‘I enjoyed and appreciated Eva both professionally and socially. Her willingness to share her knowledge and ideas has always been of great help to me and she drew people ‘like a magnet’.”’ “The college was small and during the 40’s I knew every student by name. We had many “ive-wire” students. “During World War II the young men in the service would come home on leave and come to visit us in the library,” Wilma said. She shed many tears over the “War Years’’ scrapbook as she clipped one story after another of fine young, former Weber students lost or killed in action. The scrapbook is still there, the clippings yellowing but the stories still as poignant, as one handsome young face after another appears. ‘“‘The library was in the Moench Building over the Chemistry lab,” smiled Wilma, ‘‘and we always knew when they were making rotten egg gas. Wemoved to Building 4on the new campus and who was under us but the Chemistry lab and more rotten egg gas! We could always smell what was going on down in the lab.”’ The early years on the “new campus’”’ were hectic ones for the library. There were two study rooms with space for approximately 125 students to study. “There was no place for the students to go when they didn’t have a class. The campus was ina totally residential area and there wasn’t a student union building. They flooded into the library because it was the only place they could go. When they wanted one of our study rooms for a club room we really panicked,”’ said Wilma. ‘‘We kept a schedule of all the classrooms not being used each hour and posted them so that students could find a spot to go.”’ “We were glad for the students sake and for our sake when an outrageously homely but welcome addition came to campus, an old wooden temporary Union Building quickly dubbed the ‘TUB.’ It took a lot of pressure off the library.”’ Wilma feels that her main contribution was made in 1967 when she began the task of reclassifying the library from the Dewey Decimal System to the Library of Congress classification. “The Dewey System was good for small libraries up to 100,000 volumes. It is divided into nine categories plus one general First Librarian Planned (Continued from page 3) and ordered a 15-drawer card catalog. The library consisted of 2,000 books, mostly texts, including some sets of volumes including “Bancroft’s History of Utah” and ‘“Messages of the United States President.’’ There were also some valuable government books which are in the present library but they were too advanced and had not been used. Two or three shelves of general reference books were almost worn out from student use. When the tables arrived the legs were wrapped in heavy burlap. Eva asked the deliverymen if they were going to take off the burlap. She did it, and with scissors. Eva wanted the room to be inviting to the college students. Her mother had a large monkey fern and a rubber plarit in a wicker basket. “‘How would you like to donate those,” she asked her mother. The library still lacked something and ® a also received the donation of WILMA GROSE, recently retired, changing oversaw library the classification from the Dewey Decimal System to the Library of Congress classification. category,’’ she said. ‘‘Since the college had become a four-year college and the library was nearing the 100,000 volume mark it was reclassified into the 26 categories Library of Congress Classification.”’ This was accomplished with the regular staff, pulling small stacks at a time and reclassifying. By the time she retired in 1975 the job was practically completed. Wilma was a graduate of Weber College and then went on to graduate from the University of Utah with a B. S. degree. She also attended the University of Denver where she received a B.S. in (Continued on Page 5) Move to the 'New Campus’ two more plants in jardinieres from her mother. Having won first place in pastel painting in the Weber County Fair when she was 14, Eva brought several paintings from home also (and scratched out her name in her typical unassuming way). Over the years Eva has continued her painting, also including oils. She has traveled, enjoying especially trips to Hawaii where she acquired her interest in playing the guitar. Her little red book education was only the beginning. It soon became only a souvenir. Eva received her A.B. degree from Brigham Young University and studied at the University of Oregon in the library school and attended several quarters at different periods of time at the University of Chicago. She also continued her professional training in Library Science at the Columbia University in New York. While there she was a resident at the International House near the campus and met students from many foreign countries which was ‘“‘a wonderful experience.’’ During her studies she was able to attend many fine concerts and plays in New York and Chicago. In 1941 at the 2ist annual meeting of the American Association of Junior Colleges in Chicago, Eva presented a paper in which she reviewed the development of this library in light of the National Youth Administration (NYA) grant Weber College received. The library expanded to include a group study room, took over a dining room, two classrooms and then expanded to two floors. “It was evident that the anticipated new campus should soon become a reality and new buildings would soon _ be established on the beautiful hillside on the East of the city,” she said. Eva was involved in completing plans for the temporary library on the new campus and organized the move to Building Four. | A tribute given to her noted that: ‘‘She was never content just to do a job. When she resigned she had built up a collection of over 60,000 well catalogued books and periodicals which far exceeded the standards set for a junior college library. It was considered one of the finest libraries in the West. She has won the love and respect of all who were fortunate enough to work under her direc- tion ... and exemplifies the spirit — of Weber ... service beyond the } call of duty.” | Due to her health she retired in 1954, 10 years earlier than would otherwise have been necessary. — Wilma Grose became the head librarian. She had been the reference librarian with Eva sin- 7 ce 1939. Eva remained on a part-time j basis for two more years. After retirement she did volunteer work at the Dee Hospital in their } library and catalogued 500 books. | “Life is wonderfulif we striveto | makeit so,”’ said Eva. a.